British Agriculture Hangs in the Balance of the Brexit
July 1, 2016
From: Stratfor
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On the other hand, a Brexit would afford Britain more autonomy over its agricultural practices. The European Union has strict regulations on the use of herbicides, pesticides and genetic modification in agriculture, issues currently voted on by member states and administered by the European Commission and European Food Safety Authority. Until June 28, when the bloc granted an 18-month extension, it appeared that EU officials would let Monsanto’s license for glyphosate, an herbicide and crop desiccant, expire on June 30. But these policies have cost the United Kingdom’s agriculture sector; in 2015, for instance, restrictions on neonicotinoids, a class of insecticides, adversely affected British rapeseed crops. Compared with many of its peers on the Continent, the United Kingdom is more amenable to these processes, and separating from the European Union would certainly open up the market for products treated with them. Even so, since the United Kingdom will likely strive to maintain a close trade relationship with the rest of the Continent, it may not benefit much from its liberalized agricultural policies.
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